But God shows His love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Romans 5:8
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ:
The salvation story of Jesus Christ reaches around the world. So that the readers of our Daily Devotion may see the power of the Savior on a global scale, we have asked the volunteers of our International Ministry Centers to write our Friday devotions. We pray that the Spirit may touch your day through their words.
In Christ, I remain, His servant and yours,
Kenneth R. Klaus
Speaker of The Lutheran Hour
Our God became flesh. This is a fundamental teaching in Christianity and entirely radical in its meaning. God became flesh. He took on the form of a man. He set aside His divine omnipotence and became vulnerable for us. Unlike the gods of ancient Babylonian or Greek mythologies who manifested themselves in order to display their powers and authority, Jesus gave up everything to become the sacrifice Lamb of God.
Jesus did this for one reason: love.
Jesus -- through whom all things were created -- came down to earth and became like us. He experienced what we experience; He completely identified with us through His incarnation. He became thirsty and asked the Samaritan woman for a drink at a public well. He became thirsty and asked the Roman soldier for a drink during His crucifixion. These were two people a Jew ordinarily would have nothing to do with; they were His enemies. But His love went beyond these class distinctions. His love shows His willingness to be vulnerable to the people He created so that we might see how true love behaves. Jesus sacrificed Himself to make His love known and our salvation a reality.
Vulnerability is not held in high regard much by society these days. Yet, it's the very attribute our Lord displayed for our sake in order that the will of God would be fulfilled in His life.
THE PRAYER: Heavenly Father, strengthen us to be bold and accept making sacrifices. Help us commit our lives to show Your love for others. Amen.
Biography of Author:
Michel Matar plays guitar in the Worship Band, a Lebanon-based group that performs Christian music in Arabic, English, and French. His work in that country assists the Middle East Lutheran Ministry (MELM) based in Beirut. Via the radio, programs that include Bible studies, hymns, short commentaries, and meditations are broadcast to nations all over the Middle East and North Africa.
To learn more about our International Ministries, click here or visit www.lhmint.org.
Today's Bible Readings: Numbers 7-8 Mark 13:21-37
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